Bishwajit Roy

What comes next? Will Shakib Al Hasan ultimately tour South Africa or will he only be available for the Test series? Does the team management have any failsafe mechanism in place if the premier all-rounder ultimately sticks to skipping the series?

Who would not love to captain his side? It is something that a lot of players dream of. We often hear players say, “It’s a dream come true to captain the side.”

Bangladesh have their backs against the wall following a poor display in the shortest format of the game and they will be desperate to gain something positive from the two-match

Any comparison of the two teams’ current form and squad depth ahead of the first of the three-match T20I series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium would lead to the conclusion that Pakistan are well ahead of the hosts.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken some initiatives in the aftermath of the national team’s abysmal performance in the T20 World Cup, where the Tigers’ nightmare started with a defeat against Scotland in the first round before ending with defeats in all five Super 12 matches.

“This is not a good sign.” We want to believe incumbent Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said these words out of the frustration that stemmed from the fact that ‘no one is willing to step up to challenge him for the presidency’.

“Maturity doesn’t mean age; it means sensitivity, manners and how you react.”

Bangladesh cricket team completed a highly fruitful tour by scooping all three trophies against hosts Zimbabwe. The scenario could not have been any better for a team as they return home with such tremendous success on the backdrop of a series of failures.

There is an age-old cricket batting tip: play according to the merit of the ball. This does not only apply to batting; the statement stands true for all

The Daily Star (DS): You must have been worried over the process of return when the IPL got suspended?

Liton Das has been around in national colours for almost six years now, but everybody is still hoping that the 26-year old batsman grabs his chances as best as he can.

Never failing to excavate positives from the deepest of holes following disastrous performances is probably the only persistent thing about Bangladesh’s cricket. So, walking on the same line as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), let’s begin by finding some positives from the inclusion of Shuvagata Hom in the preliminary 21-member Test squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.

The Tigers sit at 30-0 after a crushing 66-run New Zealand win in the first of the three-match T20I series at the Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday. It was the Tigers’ 30th international match across all formats against the Black Caps in their backyard and the outcome was as similar as it was in the other all games.

Around the time that the Tigers reached Wellington yesterday -- again aiming to clinch their first-ever win against New Zealand in their backyard when they play the last ODI of the three-match series on Friday -- Shakib Al Hasan was getting back to business and preparing himself for the upcoming Indian Premier League at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after returning home from the United States on Monday night.

“Catches win matches” is one of the oldest adages in cricket. There are several occasions when catches have won matches and dropped catches have cost matches.

There is never a dull moment in Bangladesh cricket and one does not always have to wait for sporadic on-field successes for excitement.

The tragic demise of a young cricketer because he could not quite crack it at the highest level brought to mind the forays of an all-time great -- former Australia skipper Steve Waugh’s journey earlier this year through India with a camera to rediscover the joys of cricket, the love that keeps an entire population agog.

The postponement of the tour of Sri Lanka is a big blow for Bangladesh cricket in terms of returning to international cricket, if not a return to any sort of competitive cricket amid the prolonged coronavirus-induced suspension.

“I believe my product (football) will be good in future,” legendary footballer Kazi Salahuddin commented during an exclusive interview with The Daily Star two months after he was elected for his first term as president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) in 2008. He added he was treating the high expectations like an extra challenge rather than a burden.

“The tough part for anyone is changing lifelong habits, but you can never underestimate the human mind’s ability to adapt to any crisis or any changing situation, which has been proven time and again throughout human history.”